Clean Comedians
TypePrivately held company
IndustryEntertainment and speakers bureau
FoundedLos Angeles, California 1990 (1990)[1]
FounderAdam Christing[2]
Headquarters
La Mirada, California
,
United States[3]
Websitecleancomedians.com

Clean Comedians is a comedy booking agency,[4] entertainment bureau,[5] speakers bureau, and event-planning company[3] that represents comedians, speakers, magicians, jugglers, emcees and entertainers who avoid using profanity and other objectionable material in their performances and speeches.[6] The company was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1990 by comedian and author Adam Christing.[7] Clean Comedians is known throughout the United States[3] and has been profiled in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News,[1] Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine, and Chicago Tribune.[6] The organization works with over 100 performers[3] and operates under the motto "It Doesn't Have to Be Filthy to Be Funny."[6] The company provides meeting and event planners with "Laughter You Can Trust."[8][9]

Company history

Clean Comedians was founded in 1990 largely as an alternative to comics and entertainers like Andrew Dice Clay and Howard Stern, who used profanity extensively in their performances.[1] Adam Christing noticed the trend of more vulgar comedians and felt that there would be a sizable market for curse-free performers.[1][10] He drafted the "10 Commandments of Comedy," which were essentially "clean" guidelines for performers offered to meeting and event planners.[1] He would later devise the "NO G.R.O.S.S." pledge, which stated that performers could not incorporate gender bashing, racist jabs, obscenity, sexual innuendo, or swearing into their acts.[11][12] These guidelines must be followed by entertainers featured on the Clean Comedians roster.[5]

The company started out with a small number of performers including Christing, Cary Trivanovich, Scott Wood, Guy Owen, Jason Chase, and impersonator Steve Bridges. The company made approximately $100,000 in its first year of operation and approximately $200,000 in its second.[6] The entertainers and variety artists mostly performed (and continue to perform) at corporate events, associations, sales meetings, and large church events.[1][8]

In 1996, the company was granted a federal trademark for the name "Clean Comedians" for recordings and for booking live performances.[13]

By 1999, the company had an active roster of 49 performers and several thousand booking clients. They gave over 640 performances in that year.[5] In addition to standard performances, Clean Comedians has also provided fundraising opportunities for many schools and non-profit organizations.[14]

In 2005, Christing sold Clean Comedians to Ford Entertainment to pursue other entrepreneurial ventures.[4] He returned as owner and president of the company in 2012.[3][7]

The company has also booked shows and appearances for conventions and events at major corporations like Canon,[15] Johnson & Johnson, Insperity, and HP.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bravin, Jess (May 12, 1992). "Clean Comedians Do Away With the Unspeakable : Stand-up: Their performance to benefit Garden Grove High School's drama department, however, fails to draw a big audience". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  2. ↑ Levine, Michael (2003). A Branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation of Superbrands. Wiley. ISBN 978-0471263661.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schick, Dennis. "Adam Christing – The Clean Comedian". The Funny Paper.
  4. 1 2 Ross, Michael E. (March 2, 2006). "Life's age-old mystery: What's it worth to you?". NBCNews.com. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Dretzka, Gary (May 29, 2000). "Cleaning Up Their Act". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Leader, Jody (September 30, 1992). "Good, Clean Fun". Chicago Tribune via Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Olson, David (October 17, 2012). "REGION: Keeping comedy clean". The Press-Enterprise. Archived from the original on August 10, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Leopold, Todd (June 26, 2013). "What's so funny about rape jokes?". CNN.com. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  9. ↑ Weingarten, Gene (October 23, 2005). "There Once Was a Man From Nantucket..." The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  10. ↑ Jeary, Tony; Kim Dower and J.E. Fishman (2005). Life Is a Series of Presentations: Eight Ways to Inspire, Inform, and Influence Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime. Touchstone Books. ISBN 978-0743269254.
  11. ↑ "FEATURE/Is Dirty Comedy Dead?; Entertainment Bureau CLEAN COMEDIANS Answers the Question With Ten Successful Years of Promoting Corporate-Friendly, Curse-Free Comedy". Business Wire. May 1, 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  12. ↑ Tanasychuk, John (May 17, 2000). "Deputy Teddy". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Clean Comedians". Trademarkia. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ Cox, Maria R. (2014). Unique Fundraising Ideas. Clinton Gilkie.
  15. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (April 28, 2000). "Hip to be square". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
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